Kennedy’s vaccine advisers change covid shot guidance, calling them an individual choice
ATLANTA — Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s new vaccine advisers added confusion Friday to this fall’s covid-19 vaccinations — declining to recommend them for anyone and leaving the choice up to those who want a shot. Until now, the vaccinations had been recommended as a routine step in the...
Trump signs proclamation imposing $100K annual fee for H-1B visa applications
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump on Friday signed a proclamation that will require a new annual $100,000 fee for H-1B visa applications, among other changes to the program for highly skilled foreign workers that has come under scrutiny by the administration. H-1B visas are meant to bring the best and...
More than 400 arrests made in Chicago area operation so far, top immigration official says
PARK RIDGE, Ill. — Immigration enforcement officials have arrested more than 400 people as part of an operation in the Chicago area that launched a little less than two weeks ago, a top Immigration and Customs Enforcement official said Friday. Marcos Charles, the acting head of ICE’s Enforcement and Removal...
Judge blocks USDA from collecting data about SNAP applicants in 21 states
A judge has temporarily barred the federal government from collecting personal information about residents enrolled in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program in 21 states and Washington, D.C. U.S. District Judge Maxine Chesney in California issued the temporary restraining order against the U.S. Department of Agriculture on Thursday, and said a...
U.S. attorney whose office is investigating Letitia James is told he’s being removed, AP source says
WASHINGTON — The U.S. attorney whose office has been investigating mortgage fraud allegations against New York Attorney General Letitia James has been told to resign or be fired, a person familiar with the matter told The Associated Press on Friday, amid a push by Trump administration officials to bring criminal...
Federal judge tosses Trump’s $15B defamation lawsuit against New York Times
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — A Florida federal judge on Friday tossed out a $15 billion defamation lawsuit filed by President Donald Trump against The New York Times. U.S. District Judge Steven Merryday ruled that Trump’s 85-page lawsuit was overly long and full of “tedious and burdensome” language that had no...
Kamala Harris had ‘nagging concern’ about Josh Shapiro as possible VP, memoir details
Excerpts from Kamala Harris’ book “107 Days” have gotten pushback from other prominent Democrats, including Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro, who was once in consideration to be her running mate during her presidential campaign. In the memoir, Harris inferred Shapiro seemed overly confident. She portrayed Shapiro as too eager for the...
Pa. joins northeast state health coalition as CDC shakeups concern experts
Pennsylvania has joined a coalition of northeastern states in an effort to develop public health and immunization guidelines amid concerns about the direction of federal health agencies. The group will meet regularly to coordinate on public health efforts such as emergency preparedness and the creation of immunization guidelines. “Pennsylvania is...
Senate rejects competing bills to fund government, increasing risk of shutdown on Oct. 1
WASHINGTON — The Senate rejected competing measures on Friday to fund federal agencies for a few weeks when the new budget year begins on Oct. 1, increasing prospects for a partial government shutdown on that date. Leaders of the two parties sought to blame the other side for the standoff....
Late-night shows address Jimmy Kimmel suspension with humor and solidarity
Jon Stewart, Stephen Colbert and Jimmy Fallon opened their late-night shows Thursday using a mix of humor and solidarity with suspended ABC host Jimmy Kimmel. Stewart opted for satire to critique ABC suspending “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” indefinitely following comments he made about the assassination of conservative activist Charlie Kirk. Colbert...
Sudanese paramilitary group reportedly kills 43 in mosque drone strike, says a local medical group
CAIRO — A Sudanese paramilitary group reportedly killed 43 civilians while praying inside a mosque early Friday in the besieged city of El Fasher, the capital of North Darfur, said a local medical group. The Sudan Doctors Network said Friday on X that Muslim worshipers, including older people and children,...
Kimmel’s suspension is latest display of Trump’s growing power over U.S. media
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump has used threats, lawsuits and government pressure as he remakes the American media landscape, unleashing his long-standing grievances against an industry that has mocked, criticized and scorned him for years. He’s extracted multimillion-dollar settlements, forced companies into costly litigation and prompted changes to programming that...
Take the TribLive weekly news quiz: Sept. 19
The following is a feature from TribLive: A weekly news quiz: 1. Jimmy Kimmel’s television future is hanging in the balance after ABC suspended his late-night show as a result of the host’s comments mocking President Donald Trump. Which TV show did Kimmel make his debut? A/ Crank Yankers B/...
A robot programmed to act like a 7-year-old girl works to combat fear and loneliness in hospitals
Days after Meagan Brazil-Sheehan’s 6-year-old son was diagnosed with leukemia, they were walking down the halls of UMass Memorial Children’s Medical Center when they ran into Robin the Robot. “Luca, how are you?” it asked in a high-pitched voice programmed to sound like a 7-year-old girl. “It’s been awhile.” Brazil-Sheehan...
Senate confirms 48 of Trump’s nominees at once after changing the chamber’s rulesVideo
WASHINGTON — The Senate has confirmed 48 of President Donald Trump’s nominees at once, voting for the first time under new rules to begin clearing a backlog of executive branch positions that had been delayed by Democrats. Frustrated by the stalling tactics, Senate Republicans moved last week to make it...
Texas A&M President Welsh resigns after gender lesson backlash
Texas A&M University President Mark Welsh is stepping down, ending the tenure of the retired Air Force general two years after taking the role. Welsh’s departure took effect on Thursday, according to a statement from Chancellor Glenn Hegar and the Texas A&M University System Board of Regents. The board plans...
Trump administration increasingly places immigrants in solitary confinement, report finds
WASHINGTON — Use of solitary confinement in immigration detention is soaring under the Trump administration, according to a report published this week by Physicians for Human Rights using federal data and records obtained through Freedom of Information Act requests. Immigration and Customs Enforcement placed at least 10,588 people in solitary...
Texas man charged with threatening NYC mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani
NEW YORK — A Texas man has been charged with making death threats against New York City mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani, prosecutors announced Thursday. Jeremy Fistel, 44, was arrested in Texas and brought to New York for an arraignment on charges that he sent a series of threatening voicemails and...
Autopsy finds hanged Mississippi student died by suicide, police say
CLEVELAND, Miss. — An autopsy by the office of Mississippi’s state medical examiner concluded that a Black student found hanging from a tree at Delta State University died by suicide, police said Thursday. The police department in Cleveland, where the campus is located, announced the findings in a news release....
Kennedy’s advisory panel recommends new restrictions on MMRV vaccines
ATLANTA — U.S. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.’s hand-picked vaccine advisory committee on Thursday recommended the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention adopt new restrictions on a combination shot that protects against chickenpox as well as measles, mumps and rubella. The panel advised that the vaccine known as MMRV...
U.S. House panel advances bill to require AM radio in all new vehicles
WASHINGTON — A panel of U.S. House lawmakers advanced a bill this week that would require the inclusion of AM radio in all new vehicles for eight years. “I know quite well how crucial AM radio is for receiving emergency alerts during hurricane season, for consumers and rural communities to...
Trump threatens to ax licenses of TV stations that criticize him
WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump suggested that U.S. broadcast networks should face scrutiny over their licenses if their content is overwhelmingly critical of him, and defended ABC’s decision to suspend late-night host Jimmy Kimmel’s show indefinitely over remarks about the death of conservative activist Charlie Kirk. “That’s something that should...
Man dies from blunt impact injuries after riding coaster at new Florida amusement park Epic Universe
ORLANDO, Fla. — A man who was unresponsive after riding a roller coaster at Universal Orlando Resort’s newest park died from blunt impact injuries, a medical examiner said Thursday. Joshua Stephany, the medical examiner for the Orlando area, ruled the death an accident after performing an autopsy. The statement from...
Prosecutor says stalking suspect ambushed Pennsylvania police officers, killing 3
NORTH CODORUS — A suspected stalker armed with a rifle hid inside his ex-girlfriend’s home in the rolling farmland of southern Pennsylvania and ambushed police officers who came to arrest him, killing three of them in a shootout, a prosecutor said Thursday. Two other officers were seriously wounded before police...
Muhammad Ali’s unsigned draft card, a piece of Vietnam-era history, will be auctioned
Muhammad Ali’s refusal to sign his Vietnam-era military draft card upended the boxing champ’s life and added a powerful voice to the anti-war movement. Now that piece of history is coming up for sale. There’s a blank line on the card where Ali was supposed to sign in 1967 but...
